A Lucky Call

Two days had passed since Lucky randomly separated from Bazel, something that was a little weird but Lucky was always a weird once since the start so it was nothing too unusual.

'I wonder how he is doing right about now? Maybe he got word about that woman who gave him that creepy looking machete as a gift.'

Though Bazel only spent a few passing moments thinking about the man for the person he had been waiting for was finally ready.

"Come in" said a voice from the other side of the door, where a familiar frail face awaited him.

Stepping into the same old plain room of Isolda, he immediately noticed a few key differences.

Though Isolda was wearing a t shirt, with cat paws on it, and jeans which was definitely a positive change from the pink blob she was before...no, the most striking difference was the several magazines aptly named "CAT LIFE" that were stacked on a small desk next to her bed as well as a the giant cat tree that stood in stark contrast to the mostly empty room.

'I see she has chosen her hobby...'

Suppressing a smirk, Bazel fully entered the room and closed the door behind him. He had visited the night before, only after a certain father figure all but begged him while grovelling on the floor, but it is clear that a change had occurred since then.

"I see that two days of eating a plentiful helping of food have at least brought some color back to you. Although once you start moving upwards to a healthy weight you will need to exercise. I am sure Captain Schwarz will hire you an excellent personal trainer though, one that he will no doubt carefully vet."

Isolda produced a pocket mirror from under her pillow and inspected her face closely while saying,

"Hmm, maybe there is a bit more color after all. Vater did go all out and get my new meals made from a three star chef, they were not bad. But the guilt is still crushing me, especially when I can offer nothing in return."

Seeing that she was falling back into a loop of self pity, and so soon at that, Bazel felt a headache coming on as he found himself suddenly partially responsible for another person. Within him there was a large part that found that fact annoying, but a far larger part said that it was the correct thing to do.

Brushing off the faint annoyance, Bazel said, "If you can get rid of the mental and physical problems that are adding on to your illness then I am sure that there is something you can do with the free time that you gain from that.

"If all else fails I can find you a job in the police department. One that can even be done from your bed here."

'I do seem to technically own the place after all' added Bazel inwardly as he thought of the crazy Chief of Police who looked like he would sell his soul to him if he asked.

As he said that he also had his partner come out and watched as the sullen mood of Isolda was lifted immediately upon seeing the creature.

'I remember learning in undergrad that in some studies pets were half as good as actual psychotropic medicine, perhaps there was some merit in that'

The feline approached Isolda's bed and easily jumped on top of it, sitting in front of Isolda and staring at her with its purple eyes. The two seem to hit it off as well as they have every other time they met, something that made Bazel wonder himself if his all powerful and mysterious partner was actually just a normal cat.

'It even stopped those ominous black flames from erupting from its body, making it look just like a really dark cat with odd eyes.'

Sitting down in the seat that had been put out specifically for him, he let the two interact for awhile before asking,

"Well? What do you think about the offer. We did just create a whole new department, and so I am sure there are some things you can pick up. All that matters is how willing you are to learn."

Pausing her play with the docile feline, whom could probably eat her whole if it wanted to, she reluctantly thought about the offer and then answered finally.

"While that gives me something to do, is that not just nepotism? I am still dutifully studying despite everything, so I am sure I would be able to earn my own keep...assuming the other problems don't get in the way."

'Still studying? Now that I think about it, I never learned how old she was or what year she is in.'

And so he asked just that,

"What year of highschool are you in? Surely you are a senior right? You do seem pretty mature after all."

"I am a sophomore...in college," said Isolda with a strange look on her face.

The conversation paused right there, stifling was the air in the room as his quick estimation turned out to be horribly wrong. Thankfully Bazel had the best tension dispersal tool at his beck and call, and with a sudden interest in the cat tree the stale air was fixed in an instant.

"So freaking adorable" muttered Isolda as she watched the cat climb up the cat tree and explore it carefully.

"Ahem, so, though you might still be studying if you really want to stop feeling like a burden contributing a little bit monetarily will definitely help.

"Especially considering that just working itself will boost your confidence, something that you need badly. No offense."

Isolda did not look too convinced so Bazel pressed on,

"I know for a fact that DASF is working on a hotline system for our operations. If anything...unusual is occurring that may deal with the types of fellows that you saw a few days ago then it will be reported. Of course we need the government to follow up with us on this else people will think of it as a scam.

"You could be an operator, taking in information and pruning out the obviously false cases. Then directing the real ones towards DASF."

"I will think about it," said Isolda as she left the question open so as to not refuse Bazel's kind intentions outright, "but right now I am focusing on eating properly and on that new hobby you had me pick up."

'Though doubling down on what was already an interest was not what I had in mind, but I will let it slide for now, baby steps.'

And so Bazel let the topic slide, instead just asking questions about what she had learned about cats and their care as well as any other interesting facts.

The conversation was far easier and lighter than the previous one for both parties, as a pleasant mood descended in the room that lasted for an entire hour.

All the way up until a phone rang, Bazel's at that.

Apologizing for the interruption, he took the call.

Immediately he heard heavy labored breathing and a voice that usually was extremely vibrant and even mocking but right now it sounded like the speaker was on the edge of death,

"Salvador, I...have informationnn for you..."

Not only was Lucky breathing heavily but he was also slurring words, an extremely worrying sign for Bazel.

"Lucky? The hell happened to you, where are you I will send help at onc-"

"Silencio(silence) Salvador, I am fine just listen to me....Sanguis is sending assassins to go after all our top brass...soon, very soon. Dea..l with it...buenos noches.."

And then the line cut.

Immediately Bazel texted Neto that Lucky was in some kind of trouble so that he could track him down and started pacing the room as he thought, under the watchful and curious eyes of Isolda all the while.

'Assassins? He said soon so it means that they are coming from out of town, which means these guys are likely to be stronger than just a blood servant. Top brass, so all the leaders of the Southern Police Department are in danger and myself of course.

'But now that we know they are coming...' an evil smile surfaced on Bazel's face, one that sent shivers down Isolda's back as she was reminded of the true form of the man in front of her:

A God of death.